[King Roger] turns on the exact emotional axis which divided the composer himself, the tension between intellect and instinct, control and chaos, mind and body – the age-old opposition of Apollo and Dionysus. (John Lloyd Davies)

Kasper Holten presents a new production of Karol Szymanowski’s opera King Roger, a meditation on identity and desire. Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House.

The première is sold out, tickets for further performances on 6, 9, 12, 16 and 19 May are still available.

Watch the Royal Opera House’s trailer:

The ROH has published a number of interesting articles on King Roger, find them here:

Creator and Destroyer: Chaos vs control in Szymanowski’s Król Roger

Opera in the Real World Part 2: The historical figures behind some of opera's greatest characters

Eastern Promises: The allure of the Orient in opera and ballet

Opera Essentials: Król Roger